If our first part of the trip is dedicated to touring the north island, in this second stage we change island and travel the south, as always on the back of our van. Although we also had a stop period in Queenstown, where we finally made use of the "working" part of our visa.
In total it has been 4 months in which we have traveled approximately 5,000 kilometers.
We start in the port of Picton where we disembarked after 3 hours of ferry from Wellington, on the north island. Here our adventure for this island would begin, the most impressive of the two as we had been advised. We toured the Queen Charlotte Drive to get to Abel Tasman and walk your first kilometers.
We continue the trip south on the West coast, which we fell in love with completely. We cross from coast to coast to sleep in a wonderful enclave in Kaikoura, where we met the stinky and friendly sea lions.
It was time to move inside the island and there we took one of the most beautiful surprises of the trip, to contemplate the Tekapo and Pukaki lakes.
And not far from there our steps took us to the highest peak in all of New Zealand, the Mount cook, with truly beautiful landscapes.
But the good was already running out, Queenstown He was waiting for us with open arms and a housekeeper job. They spent three months living with Jairo and Ana in a nice little house, meeting very good people and cleaning many bathrooms. He also gave us to specialize in the “hospital corner” and other labor problems.
And we take advantage of the proximity to visit one of the must of the country: the fjord of Milford Sound We literally run out of words! A show! Here we tell you more.
In the days that gave us free we also made occasional getaway to the southernmost area, the Catlins and the city of Dunedin and the nearby Otago Peninsula.
With the batteries already half spent after work and for so long in Kiwi lands, Fox and Granz Josef glaciers They weren't enough to cheer us up again, in fact quite the opposite! Luckily we will always have our beloved West Coast!
And we leave this coast forever through the Arthur's Pass until Christchuch, where our working holiday stage in New Zealand ended and where we said goodbye to our 4-wheel travel companion.
Were 4 months very different from the ones we spent on the north island, but just as fun and full of very positive experiences. From here we get a good handful of friends and a few new skills to clean and make beds.
The route
Then we leave the map of our route, in it you will find links that redirect you to the articles of each place, for more information.
Written articles
- Sailing south (ferry from Wellington to Picton).
- Welcome south: the Queen Charlotte Drive.
- Trekking (or rather hike) through Abel Tasman.
- Misadventure: for a foot of meat and cheese.
- Discovering the West Coast (pancake rocks).
- Kaikoura: love at first sight.
- The Tekapo and Pukaki lakes.
- Face to face with Mount Cook.
- Cromwell: the rotten apple.
- 10 reasons to travel by van through Nuva Zeeland.
- First (and last steps) in Queenstown.
- What to see and do in Queenstown.
- The Catlins: the little lad of the South Pole (Slope point, Nugget point and Moeraki Boulders).
- Dunedin and the Otago Peninsula.
- In the land of the fjords (Milford Sound).
- The glaciers of New Zealand.
- Crossing the Arthur's Pass.
- Christchurch: a broken city.
- A little piece of France in New Zealand (Akaroa and the Banks Peninsula).
You can see ALL articles related to New Zealand (which are many) by clicking this link.
Places to spend the night with the van (free and legal)
(Pending). For now you can see on the route map
Some reference prices
If you want to see some reference prices so you can calculate more or less the expenses on a trip to this country, check out this post.
The best
- Living in Queenstown for 3 months, after such a long time on the route, having a cool house and if it is also in a beautiful place like Queenstown and surrounded by nice people, well… it is cooler.
- The West Coast, especially the stretch from Westport up.
- Kaikoura with its fabulous landscapes and the first sea lions we saw in New Zealand.
- The lake area (Tekapo and Pukaki) and Mount Cook, for us it was the best of our 9 month trip through New Zealand.
- The nugget point of the Caitlins: if in general this park left us half indifferent, the Nugget Point ... is not a true pass!
- working from housesitting: look we complained while we were there cleaning dishes and kitchens but over time it turned out to be a very enriching experience, especially for having shared it with a team that is too cool.
- Milford Sound Just beautiful.
Worst
- The glaciers left us quite indifferent. We because we had time but we do not advise travelers who have 2-3 weeks of travel to travel here.
- Christchurch did not like anything and see that this does not happen much!
- Cromwell: having to pay to plug our pc into the town library was crap. And on top, by Marphy's law, it was a few days of hard work and when we needed electricity yes or yes.
